Walk This Way

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. -- Ephesians 5:15-16

Evil times are not new.  Our ancestors endured hardships, persecution, sectarian and ethnic wars and violence, epidemics, famine, droughts, floods, heat and cold.  They did it without modern medicine, without the knowledge of bacteria and viruses, without central heat and air conditioning, electricity, refrigeration, or Walmart.  That we are here is the evidence that they survived long enough to reproduce.  That we enjoy the benefits of western civilization validates their faith in Christ and His Church.    

The Bible does not teach us to live; it teaches us to live meaningfully, to trust our destiny to the Lord, to live wisely.  Pagans lived.  Atheists, agnostics, apes, and Democrats live without knowing, for the most part, the reason for life. 

Imagine someone who is an expert mechanic, who can take apart the engine of a car or a motorcycle and put it all back together, diagnose and fix any mechanical or electrical problem that might arise with that engine.  Then imagine that person doesn’t understand that the purpose of the engine is to allow people to travel about freely.  He is simply fascinated by the mechanics of the device itself.  We would not begrudge him his fascination or the enjoyment he derived from his work.  We would rather appreciate and possibly benefit from his knowledge and expertise.  But we would know he was missing the higher purpose of his own efforts.    

To live wisely, to make the most of the life we have and the time we are given, comes from knowing Christ Jesus as Savior, as the Giver and Sustainer of life and all that is, and from walking in the Way.